The VICTORY team

"I'll find you all later. There's too many dicks for too few pussies."

Blink did not really agree with Brig, his only source of freedom should the worst occur, but he understood. There were more than the few numbers could handle, especially since he refused to light his flame. It made him much weaker in the face of the enemy. "Head towards the peak and when you see three cliffs form a natural bridge you will find us. The valley is beneath." With that he floated over to the young Oliver and waved his arms for the others to follow. Yoru, however, was not happy with that comment and didn't want to leave yet.

"Who you callin' a pussy?! Get back here you overgrown cockatiel!" But it was no use, the Braviary was already off fighting the demons and he was stuck with Ollie and some candle. He was alone, with two kids. Great. Forcing a smile on he looked down to Oliver and tried to be reassuring. "He'll, uh, he'll be fine. I guess." Upon seeing the candle motioning for them to follow he gave the Growlithe a small nudge and urged him forward. "Let's go kiddo. Sooner we get there sooner I can finally relax." Blink nodded and started leading the way towards the only entrance to his safe haven. "It's not far but you will have to climb part of the way."

And Arceus help him that it stayed safe once they were there.

Oliver was spurred out his thoughts as Yoru gently nudged him forward. "Let's go kiddo. Sooner we get there sooner I can finally relax." The pup nodded but decided not to speak as he began to follow Blink. It was probably best if he kept quiet until they reached their destination; at least it would give him some time to gather his thoughts ... and decide on what questions to ask Yoru about his disappearance when they had settled down.

"How far do we have to go, Mr Blink?" Oliver was sure that that was the only question that he would voluntarily ask as he slowly padded alongside the Umbreon, his head slightly dipped. After all, he was a follower now; it wasn't his job to interfere with the actions of the leader.

"Head towards the peak and when you see three cliffs form a natural bridge you will find us. The valley is beneath."

The candle's words floated to his ear as Brig flew toward the horde, broad winds casting a shadow down upon the seemingly hundreds of eyes and teeth gleaming up hungrily at him. Face set sternly against them, his gaze narrowed as he pushed himself higher and higher, the gnawing, gnashing horde silencing beneath him. They were soon naught but a small, strangely-moving splotch on the landscape when he turned and tucked his wings in, going into a steep dive. The wind rushed past him with such ferocity, he soon had to hold his breath as breathing itself proved too strenuous. He slowly brought out his claws and began flaring his wings, and as the pokemon below speedily became more and more recognizable, it wasn't until the last second that he pulled up, claws still extended.

Every piece of rotting flesh that was in the path of his talons was immediately ripped off, heads, limbs sliced asunder with razor-sharp talons. Speed still hieghtened with momentum, he tore through the rotting bastards with an expert ease, many of them falling limp and harmless with his first pass. However, as he rose up to make another pass, a small sneasel hopped onto his quick form, its claws digging into his wing. A sharp cry of pain escaped him, the balance of his wings now off, he couldn't help but spiral out of control out of the air and crash into the dirt some yards away from the quickly approaching horde. The sneasel was liquified on impact, but it left his wing wounded. Standing, he inspected the damage, noting the nice area of dark crimson over his already scarlet plumage. "Well, fuck," he growled, turning his eyes to the threat.

While his normal eyes only spotted a few dozen, his inner eyes saw nearly a thousand. The memories playing at his mind and soul replicated that terrible, fateful day when he'd been so viciously ripped from both his human and his flock, bringing them back to haunt him in his waking moments. He was back in the squadron, watching their own mass army marching lethargically to their own, overwhelming their forces with the trademark relentlessness they always showed. Their ruthless resolve to murder and slay any life tehy came across... only to reproduce a perverted, warped version of their own. He stepped back a bit, fear gripping him for the first time since that day. He'd thought it a big grouping of the fuckers but now... Now he knew. They'd found him... and they were going to finish the job.

He clicked his beak, mind unsure how to handle the situation before him. How could he possibly take on all of these fuckers? But there was no doubt in his mind: he'd have to. Downed, grounded, his wing barely usable... he wasn't going to be able to pussy out of this fight. He opened his wings and charged, jumping and extending his talons for more bastards to die within them.

"How far do we have to go, Mr Blink?"

"Not far until the path ends, and then you'll have to climb from there. I will try to find rocks easy to access." Blink wasn't sure how else to describe the rocky crag they would need to squeeze into and hoped that they got there safely. The mountain could be treacherous even when there weren't blood thirsty beasts trying to eat you. "We will have to move quickly if we don't want to leave a trail to follow."

_________________

Blink? The candle's name was Blink? What a weird name. Oh well, it wasn't like he had to live with that name so if he wanted to have the weird name that was totally up to him. Oliver looked a little sad though and it put Yoru in a weird spot, torn between wanting to get the hell out of there and wanting to see what was up. Setting a slower pace so that he walked beside the pup he looked down and tried to get Oliver's attention. "What's eating you kid?"

((lame post, sorry. With it being just Sil, Night and me there isn't much to work with.))

The fight was on, as each head his large, lethal talons set upon was potentially the last. Hopping over the biting, drooling, roaring horde, Brig's fear quickly subsided to manic exhilaration as his feet crushed each rotting skull they landed on. His weight alone would cause most pokemon's bones to snap, but his claws were always the ones to cinch the deal. With the aid of occasional Hone Claws and Crush Claws, there was nearly nothing that could stop him. Each encounter always placed him in the winner's corner with an added last shriek of whatever tried to take that title from him.

Until the Cryogonal.

Sharpened talons were halted as they came into contact with the thing's face, its strange eyes lazily looking up at Brig's feathered form. He was barely able to utter a word before the Ice Beam shot out, hitting him stright in the abdomen, launching him into the air. Unable to catch himself from the force of the attack, he landed hard on his back, a grunt escaping him as nearly all the air was knocked out of his lungs with it. Flipping slowly back onto his feet as he attempted to remove the throbbing pain from his attention, Brig glanced up to see it slowly making its way toward him, face blank.

"Ooh..." he chuckled, taking the opportunity to get another Hone Claws in before the ice face got near enough to attack again. "Aren't you just the belle of the fuckin' ball? Your momma must've been real proud when you hatched." He got in another Hone Claws, then another and another. Before long, he felt his muscles bulging, his body twitching for battle. Oh, yes. There was no doubt about it-- he was fucking ready.

Launching himself forward, wings open, he caught the face in time before it fired another attack, then used his wings to propel himself upward, despite the pain his wounded wing was shooting him. There'd be time to bitch and moan about it later-- now was the time to kill this sonnova bitch. Higher, higher, higher he flew, soon letting gravity take him and begin pulling him back down to the earth. The winds sweeping past him, Brig couldn't help but let a cruel grin spread across his beak. These fuckers were toast.

Opening his wings and talons simultaneously, he dropped the ice face to return to his disgusting brethren, mouth still hungrily gnawing for the braviary's flesh. However, it didn't last long. The Sky Drop attack had been so brutal, once the ice type hit the earth, it shattered; its icy shards sent every which way. The impact alone was enough to obliterate any nearby undead, but the shards picked off the scragglers who were on the outskirts of the small crater Brig had created. With a confident huff, he soared back to the others and was quickly reminded about his wing's condition. Sharp, terrible pain stabbed his shoulder, forcing him to land with a pained hiss. Damned rotters.

Loping the rest of the way, he soon saw the candle, fox and pup. "...They're taken care of," Brig growled, shaking himself to de-ruffle his feathers. "Though, we should still light out while we can."

They had finally reached the bottom of the cliff face they would have to climb when the sound of heavy wing beats caught Yoru's attention. Ears perking to attention the Umbreon looked around until the Braviary's massive form came into view and he frowned. Of course the jackass would come back without a scratch. He settled down and ruffled his feathers, much to Yoru's annoyance, and acted like they had been doing jack squat since separating from him. "...They're taken care of. Though, we should still light out while we can."

Brilliant plan Sherlock," Yoru growled out. "But as you can see we just freaking got here and according to the candle we still have to climb. SO. Unless you plan to make yourself useful could you do me a favor and just shut your beak?" Blink was getting nervous at the tension between the red ringed vulpine and the Braviary, knowing that any kind of tension could lead to him losing focus and sparking up. This was exactly what he had been afraid of. Letting such volatile creatures into his sanctuary would taint it...he would never be safe. They would never be safe. "Maybe if he carried you we would get in faster?" Yoru turned to glare at Blink and he at once regretted saying anything. "Never mind..."

"Not far until the path ends, and then you'll have to climb from there," Blink replied. "I will try to find rocks easy to access. We will have to move quickly if we don't want to leave a trail to follow." Oliver nodded as he sped up into a trot, looking down at the little Litwick as he walked beside him. But then Yoru was next to him, and the Umbreon bent his head low. "What's eating you kid?"

The question caught Oliver off guard a little; clearly Yoru had noticed his somewhat lackluster demeanor. Raising his head high and offering the Dark-type a peppy nod, Oliver forced himself to smile. "I'm fine! Just ... thinking about how nice it is to have you back with us, Mr Yoru. I wonder if Miss Lola or Mr Pyth will come back too." His ears suddenly perked up as he remembered something. Looking Yoru in the eye, he asked, "Where's Miss Armonia?"

But just then, Brig landed nearby. "...They're taken care of. Though, we should still light out while we can." "You took out all of them yourself?" Oliver stared up at the huge bird in awe, his tail wagging slightly at the realisation that he had such a strong Pokemon on his side. He let himself fade into the background at Yoru's sarcastic, somewhat nasty response. His friend had changed, there was no doubt about it, and more than anything he wanted to know what had happened to make him like this. Maybe someone made him sad...

But right now he wanted to focus on getting to the sanctuary that Blink spoke of before they were attacked again. He sat and patiently waited for orders while they conversed, pawing at the ground nervously. I don't even know who the leader is supposed to be anymore.

Brig's triumphant return seemed to bring with it a mix of different reactions, namely the amount of gratitude --or lack thereof. Brilliant plan Sherlock," the damned red-ringed umbreon growled out. "But as you can see we just freaking got here and according to the candle we still have to climb. SO. Unless you plan to make yourself useful could you do me a favor and just shut your beak?" Brig's eyes flashed over at the dark moon fox, feathers already ruffling once more. All of those Hone Claws were still in effect, but only just... He could probably get in another move... The ghost made his own obvious point, and Brig couldn't help his own words spout.

"I haven't seen you do anything but sit around and bitch you goddamned shit-eating cuntmuncher!" he cried, his towering form looming over the umbreon. "If it weren't for me, those damned lamebrains would already be chowin' down on your useless ass-- the fuckin' kid's done more than you and his balls haven't even dropped. SO. Why don't you shut your fucking face and show some goddamned respect or go back and suck your momma's fucking tit!" Scoffing, raking some dirt beneath his talons and showering it in the red-ringed umbreon's direction, he turned his attention to said pup, the little growlithe looking up at him in adoration.

"You took out all of them yourself?" Brig's furious growl switched almost instantly to a triumphant grin, his feathers smoothing themselves back down.

"I sure did, son. Nothin' you can't do with a shitton of hard work, discipline and training." He turned back, remembering the candle's words of his earlier suggestion-- hopping on Brig's back and flying up to the sanctuary. While the eagle himself had proposed the idea, with his wing now wounded... There'd be no way he could carry passengers; he could barely keep himself up in the air. He looked to the wick, nodding to the mountain. "Where to?"

"I haven't seen you do anything but sit around and bitch you goddamned shit-eating cuntmuncher!" Yoru snarled at the annoying bird as he used swearing as a method to cover up the fact that he sucked at comebacks. It was displeasing to the ear to hear so many badly phrased curse words in a row. Quickly tuning out the rest of the guy's bitching he turned his attention back to Oliver who gave a half-hearted reply to his earlier query of what was wrong. But then he mentioned the Rapidash. "I-She...that is..."

Yoru wore a guilty expression at the mention of Armonia, still upset that he hadn't been able to track her down after she ran off. He couldn't let the kid know that she was probably dead it would only upset him. Damn it, this was why he didn't like kids! They were so sensitive and he didn't know how to talk to one! "You took out all of them yourself?" He frowned at the praise heaped on the annoying patriot who acted like he was the boss because he had wings. Psht. He wasn't so great.

Blink struggled to keep from stressing as the Braviary and Umbreon went at it, hiding behind Oliver in an effort to spare himself from any uncontrolled wrath. "Please...please stop. You'll attract them..." But his soft pleas seemed to go unheard as attention soon went to Oliver. Blink realized his close proximity to the pup and soon feared Brig's understanding of the situation, floating as quickly as he could to the top of a nearby rock. Clearing his throat he looked down at the waiting Pokemon and waved one of his waxy little arms. "This way, it shouldn't take long if we move as a group."

Oh please let it not take long.

Oliver's ears pressed against his head as he stood back a little; Yoru and Brig were fighting again, the large bird throwing more insults than Oliver knew at the Dark-type. He almost wanted to defend Yoru, but at the same time he knew that his friend was treating Brigadier very unfairly, especially after he had risked his life battling those undead so that their safety could be confirmed.

When he was pretty sure that they had stopped firing curses at one another, Oliver stepped up next to Blink, dipping his head low in fear that he was only about to prolong the fight."Please ... stop fighting." He watched the little candle float to the top of a nearby rock and quietly cleared his throat as he looked back to the two bickering Pokemon. "Um ... I'm going with Mr Blink. I want to have a rest soon..." Giving them both a solemn look, Oliver turned and clambered up the rock after the Litwick.

Yoru gave a guilty look at the kid as he went away with the odd little candle. Looking to the big asshole that called himself a bird he just sighed and shook his head. This guy had a knack for getting under his skin yet not really earning his hatred. It was more fun to argue with him than actually the words they used, reminded him of Jack. Another heavy sigh and he started to head after Oliver and the candle who were slowly moving up the rocks. It occurred to him to try and break the tension so he just said the first thing that came to mind. "So...uh...are we sure this place is still safe? I was sure nowhere was anymore."

Blink kept floating up, resting over rocks he thought Oliver could reach and climb upon to try and guide him safely, but his eyes slowly turned to acknowledge Yoru as he joined. "I don't really," he replied softly, voice mellow and somewhat distant. "But when all of this was going on I had no idea because it never breached my sanctuary. It took that strange energy sending me out of it that I even came across these...things." Well that was impressive the Umbreon realized. If it never made it into the valley then maybe it could be like a new Eden to the world. But if everyone came flocking to it that would certainly bring the infection along. Made sense the candle didn't like others then.

"We should hurry then." Blink couldn't agree more.

Oliver listened as Blink informed them that his 'sanctuary' had never been discovered by the undead before; at least, not while he was there. The pup wondered just how well-hidden it was for it to remain unspoiled. Images of a secret cavern with a lake of fresh water, a roaring waterfall and fields of green grass for him to run through floated through his mind as he continued to climb. He doubted that it was actually like that, but he decided that he might as well dream for a bit to take his mind off things. If he was completely honest with himself, he didn't care if it was just going to be a hollow in a tree - he just wanted to rest more than anything.

"Are we there yet?"

The punk-ass umbreon seemed to shut up about Brig, which suited the bird fine. As the two headed along with the pup in tow, Brig followed rather reluctantly. Testing his wing with a slight shrug of his shoulder, he winced only slightly when a sharp pain protested the movement. Nope, he'd fucked it up all right. And now he was stuck with these ground-pounders until who knew when. And then there was the ticking time-bomb of a ghost with them...

Yeah. There was no way he was going to be able to relax with these assholes.

He followed, silently and angrily, keeping his senses focused on the areas around them rather than the inane words going back and forth between his company.

"Are we there yet?"

Yoru rolled his eyes while Blink paused over another rock and waited for Oliver to catch up. "Almost," he replied, hoping that the sanctuary was still safe from what he remembered it to be. If other creatures found it while he was gone he wasn't sure what he would do anymore. "Just a few more ledges and then there will be a crevice we can walk through to get into the valley. It is completely surrounded on all sides by the mountain and the only way in other than by air is this way."

Yoru frowned at the reply, already sick of climbing, but decided he was sick of waiting for the candle to lead the way and jumped a few ledges higher to see if he could spot this so-called crevice. As the last ledge he jumped on started to crumble he scrambled to keep from sliding back down the mountain, claws digging into rock to stay put. It hurt like hell but finally he was able to get steady and rest on what remained of the ledge. "Fuck me that was close," he said aloud, to no one in particular. "At least I-holy shit..."

Concerned Blink motioned for Oliver to stay put while he floated up to Yoru and saw what he was looking at. The entrance to the sanctuary had been blasted open, a huge gaping cave now standing where a barely maneuverable crack used to be. That was not a good sign. He looked to Brig but saw the bird trying to hide a wounded wing and frowned, knowing that they couldn't scout the valley and see if whatever made the hole was inside if he couldn't fly. They were going to have to risk it. "Looks like something tried to get in before we did," Yoru called down. "We still wanna risk it? Candle did say there was only one way in so that means if we go we are trapped with only one way out too."

Blink hated life. Just hated it.

Oliver was glad to hear that the ascent was almost over. Usually he wouldn't have minded climbing up some rocks since it was just another adventure, an obstacle to overcome, at his age. But the little pup's fatigue did not allow him to even feel a hint of excitement; all he wanted was to eat, rest and, of course, ask Yoru the questions that he'd been concocting for him all morning.

He heard rocks falling above him and quickly turned to see the Umbreon scrambling back onto the ledge he was standing on. Blink motioned at him to stay put while he went to investigate something and Oliver did as he was told, peering up over the rocks at them both. "Mr Yoru, are you OK?" he called, but he felt his ears droop at the news that Yoru then gave them.

"Looks like something tried to get in before we did. We still wanna risk it? Candle did say there was only one way in so that means if we go we are trapped with only one way out too." It looked like the hidden paradise that Oliver imagined wasn't to be. The young Growlithe sighed and looked over to Brig, examining the bird's reaction to this. "I-I don't mind," he replied lamely, too tired to think straight.

He hopped up to the rock that Brig was perched on and stood next to him. He noticed that the Braviary looked rather uncomfortable and kept shrugging one of his shoulders. Oliver lightly tapped Brig's foot to get his attention and then whispered, "Did you hurt yourself, Mr Brig?"

Brig carefully climbed his way up, a significantly difficult task as he was bereft of hands, his taloned feet the only appendages that could aid him. The others were already far ahead of him, but he really couldn't tell; his eyes were too focused on the rocks beneath his giant form. At least the conversation was exciting...

"Are we there yet?"
"Almost. Just a few more ledges and then there will be a crevice we can walk through to get into the valley. It is completely surrounded on all sides by the mountain and the only way in other than by air is this way."

...or not.

There was a bit of crumbling, and Brig glanced up in time to see the little shit umbreon struggling something fierce as he precariously steadied himself on some shifting rocks. "Fuck me that was close. At least I-holy shit..." Frowning, Brig pushed himself to climb faster and catch up with the others. Pumping his legs and forcing his wings to help, he managed to hop up more than climb to join the others, panting slightly from the strangeness of the excursion. It'd been a long time since he had to use his legs so much... but once he joined the others, he found what the red-ringed asshole had found.

The "crevice" Wax-face had been talking about was comparitively bigger, in the way an ocean is bigger than the puddle of drool from a moron's mouth. The protective wall was obliterated. "Looks like something tried to get in before we did. We still wanna risk it? Candle did say there was only one way in so that means if we go we are trapped with only one way out too."

Brig frowned. That also means that we could bottleneck anything inside. It's a risky plan, running in and slaughtering anything inside. But there's only a few things that could make that sort of destruction-- a few pokemon and some good ole' goddamn explosives. Maybe there's a platoon here, or... the remnants of one. But as he thought, Oliver's small voice interrupted him, as well as an accompanying tap on the foot.

"Did you hurt yourself, Mr Brig?" he asked softly, earning the bird's attention. The kid was cute and all, and even had the beginnings to greatness. Brig's expression softened only a fraction to provide the other with a sardonic smirk and a shrug of the shoulder.

"A bit. Won't be able to fly till at least tomorrow." He glanced over to the others, then to the entrance. "Whatever's in there did that in one blow. No gradual shit like digging. This wall was blown to sweet Legends above, and whatever did it's probably still inside." He looked to the candle, frown put back in its place. "I say we set up camp somewhere nearby, somewhere defensible. Wait out the night, come back and beat the shit out of whatever's within when my wing heals. Anything else would be fucking stupid." He shot a glare to the umbreon, the last bit specifically for him.

Yoru wasn't too pleased with the idea of going into the ominous hole but the kid didn't seem to mind. Obviously he wasn't overly concerned with just what could have made a blast that big. "I say we set up camp somewhere nearby, somewhere defensible. Wait out the night, come back and beat the shit out of whatever's within when my wing heals. Anything else would be fucking stupid." Yoru frowned at Brig's suggestion, knowing that waiting until the next day would waste a hell of a lot of time since it wasn't even afternoon yet. Also there was one other matter...

"And where is 'nearby' that isn't a bunch of pointy rocks ready to collapse out from under our feet? I'm telling you I did not climb up here just to go right back down when I am looking at the door. That's stupid." Blink stared at the Umbreon with his mouth agape. Was he really suggesting they go in there after whatever made that hole? That was suicide! "If that thing is still in there maybe waiting would be best to see if it comes out?" he suggested, hoping to ease any tension. "And since Brig is injured waiting until he is healed and able to battle at his fullest wouldn't hurt either."

Yoru frowned but in the back of his mind he knew the candle was right. "Fine," he surrendered, rolling his eyes as he sat down. "Then what do you suggest since we are already up here?"

((I will reveal what made the hole next round once we decide what everyone wants to do. ^_^))

(( I’m sorry about the late reply. I was violently sick most of yesterday and couldn’t bring myself to get onto the computer. But just to be an extra pain, I’m going to have to skip. I wasn’t sure about the layout of Blink’s valley-place and didn’t want to screw up. :P I’ll introduce them on my next turn. ))

((Might as well skip me too. Oliver is just listening to the conversation.))

"And where is 'nearby' that isn't a bunch of pointy rocks ready to collapse out from under our feet? I'm telling you I did not climb up here just to go right back down when I am looking at the door. That's stupid," was the little prick umbreon's retort, succeeding in ruffling Brig's feathers. Oh, how he'd love to show this little fucking turd a thing or two. Fuming, plotting how exactly to make his point, the candle took the moment to speak.

"If that thing is still in there maybe waiting would be best to see if it comes out?" the shrimp suggested, his tone that of a meek mouse. "And since Brig is injured waiting until he is healed and able to battle at his fullest wouldn't hurt either."

It seemed that was enough sense for the umbreon-- even though it was pretty much what Brig had stated earlier. What, was the asshole willing to listen to reason if it came from that spineless soul-sucking retard over there instead of him? Why, because he wasn't licking his asshole and bowing down to him all the fucking time? The FUCK was wrong with this dick?! "Fine," he surrendered, rolling his eyes as he sat down. "Then what do you suggest since we are already up here?"

"Maybe if you opened your giant fucking ears, you'd remember what I just said not five minutes ago," he growled, readjusting his wings by expanding them a little. Find a place to settle for camp tonight, then explore in the morning. And we find a place by fucking looking for one, dipshit,"[/color] he snapped at Yoru, feathers still puffed. "Nothing ever falls into your fucking lap. At least not now." He took a swift look around, trying to spot something. "We need a deep depression in the rocks, a shallow cave at most. From there, we can barricade the entrance."

Yoru chose to ignore the bird's scathing comments, figuring them useless information anyway, and instead chose to scan the area visually to see if there were any indications of what may have made such a big ass hole. "We need a deep depression in the rocks, a shallow cave at most. From there, we can barricade the entrance." Well thank you Captain Obvious. Not like there weren't plenty of fucking depressions in the side of a mountain.

Stupid bird.

The Umbreon waited for Oliver to say something, not really sure what the kid wanted to do. He didn't want to force the younger male to do something he was afraid of, that would just come back to bite him if he did. Blink sat patiently off to the side on one of the rocks waiting for anyone to say anything. He hated awkward silences, they always made such tension until someone finally spoke. Seeing Yoru look around Blink chose to to float off to the side to find out if there was anything like Brig had described within sight of the valley entrance.

Lucky for them there was one small little cave not far around the corner, the Litwick figuring that even a bird of Brig's size could fit inside. It didn't go very deep at all, the back of it visible from the front, but from what the Braviary had mentioned that would be perfect. Just somewhere to sit and wait. Getting back to the others quickly he paused just above Oliver's head and pointed the way he had come. "There is a small cave over there we can use," he told the others, looking at Brig in particular. "It is a little short but you should be able to fit too. I don't know about barricading it though...there may be something around here."

Oliver's ears flattered themselves against his head as Yoru and Brig argued. All the young pup wanted was somewhere quiet to lie down and rest for an hour or two; some clean water; something nice to eat. The two of them only seemed interested in throwing insults at one another - Oliver felt a little sorry for Blink, who was trying so hard to help them out and yet had to endure listening to those two bicker.

Feeling a soft heat against the top of his head, Oliver looked up to see the Litwick floating above it. "There is a small cave over there we can use," he told them. "It is a little short but you should be able to fit too. I don't know about barricading it though...there may be something around here."

"That sounds OK," Oliver mumbled, his eyelids drooping as he struggled to keep his head up. He hated how useless he was being, but he was just too tired to care. What's more, the brief but wonderful time when he'd considered himself to be the group's new leader was weighing heavily on his mind - it was all over now. He was back to where he had started. What right did he have to offer an opinion? To pretend he knew what he was doing?

After all, he was just a kid.

Brig took the damned red umbreon's silence as a victory, a small smirk gracing his beak. Arrogant little punk-ass twirp. If push came to shove, Brig would have no qualms with grabbing the little fucker by the ears and send him careening off the mountainside. But, his wings were a bit out of commission and of course, the others might call mutiny and do the exact same thing to him. So, Brig would have to settle with the small little victories.. for now.

"There is a small cave over there we can use," the candle stated timidly, earning Brig's attention. His head swiveled to where the little ghost was referring, only able to see a bit of it. "It is a little short but you should be able to fit too. I don't know about barricading it though...there may be something around here."

"That sounds OK," the small pup mumbled, and Brig nodded. "Lumber and rock's'll do-- there's plenty of those 'round here," Brig commented, hopping up on some other boulders. "I suggest we do a quick round of foraging, meet back here in a few hours with supplies. We should be on the lookout for possible food and clean water, as well as shelter supplies. We should also split up into pairs--" he looked down, finally noticing the pup's downward demeanor. Though Brig was never one for kids, the pup had still earned a meager ounce of respect; it was more than the umbreon had earned.

"You wanna choose teams, kid?" he asked, tilting his head slightly.

Oliver's ear perked up a little as Brig suggested that they split up to gather supplies. It seemed like a good idea, but the thought of being in a smaller group made the young Growlithe a little nervous. The more of them there were, the more comfortable he felt knowing that he had the best protection. He knew it was a little selfish to think such things, but what use would he be in a fight? No ... that Onix wouldn't have gone down if it wasn't for my help. He didn't really know whether that statement was true or not, but it gave him some hope, some reassurance, that he wasn't just wasting his time here. He would be just as strong and great as his father was one day, he knew it. This was just his starting point.

"You wanna choose teams, kid?" Oliver looked up at the Braviary as his words broke his trail of thought. He knew that Brig and Yoru would only argue with one another if they teamed up, and although he trusted Blink, the Litwick's rather sombre attitiude wouldn't do Oliver any favours. He was trying to boost his spirits, and right now the only one who seemed to be able to do that was Brigadier, provided he didn't ruffle the bird's feathers too much. So far, he had done well at avoiding that.

"I'll go with you, Mr Brig," Oliver replied with a slight wag of his tail.

"I'll go with you, Mr Brig."

The kid's reply sent a rare proud smile over the bird's face, his stoic, raging expression softening at the words. The fact that the umbreon wasn't even slightly considered made the earlier wounds inflicted by that same umbreon ease just a little. While he wasn't completely fond of letting the soul-slurping candle simply walk out of his sight, the probability that the umbreon would be his first victim gave the bird some ease of mind. 'Twould serve that smartass little ass-munching prick a lesson... though he'd have to have a soul for wax-face to eat first...

Brig gave a sideward glance toward the other two, exhaling a little in exasperation. "We'll go this way. Meet back here in a few hours." His tone was strict and not allowing for negotiation-- he knew how to fucking lead and that little fat rat of a pokemon could suck it up and shut the hell up. He didn't like it? He could get the fuck out. Sure, the kid seemed to know him and he looked to be a longer resident of the "group", but that group was already mostly gone when he'd arrived. Not a few hours ago, four or five members simply vanished one way or another. Seniority over this particular group didn't really seem all that important-- especially when the senior was a prime example of why Brig chose killing things as his line of work.

He began walking, hopping awkwardly along the craggy road, not taking any interest in the umbreon's reply. "So, kid, how long you been with that jackass?" he asked bluntly, nodding over to where the other two pokemon were. "He always like this?"